


Glory Days

by KatherineBlackwell



Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:21:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28988442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatherineBlackwell/pseuds/KatherineBlackwell
Summary: A collection of one-shots with various themes for our beloved Team 7 and their friends.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Hairbrush

**Author's Note:**

> (*A/N: Please bare with me as this is my first time writing a one shot. Critiques are most welcome!)

HAIRBRUSH/ "Closer" cover by PelleK feat. AmaLee

It was nights like these that made it easier to fall asleep. 

Crickets chirped in the greenery surrounding the group, cast in the warm glow of a crackling campfire. Wind rustling leaves and swaying the firelight, as three genin ninja surrounded the glowing pit. Their unit leader and teacher was god knows where, probably nose deep in an erotica novel as they readied for bed. The rest of the team were too tired to argue as sleeping bags and pallets were rolled out, and a light dinner of fish and rice was passed around.

Twelve year old Uchiha Sasuke would normally be asleep in the comfort of his apartment right now. Instead, he leaned against the base of a tree at the edge of their camping spot, a stick digging in the dirt to carve out caricatures of cats doing various cat things and waiting for his favorite part of the night. The only reason he ever took the first shift of night watch when they went out on team missions. 

A thin shadow slowly crossed his crude cat pictures as one of his teammates, Haruno Sakura, reached for her backpack and his hand paused. He looked up, just as she pulled her hairbrush out. He tucked his nose into the collar of his shirt. Fire raced across his cheeks as his black hair shadowed his eyes, and he watched her begin to pull the tool through her hair, counting. The sleeping bag of his other teammate shuffled as the blonde dork rolled over to watch as their pink haired teammate began to hum, blue eyes watching the girl with sleepy interest. As if his teammate had a chance in hell.

“You sound so happy, when you do that.” their blonde teammate commented after a moment. “Just by brushing your hair.”

Sakura’s hand paused for a brief second, and she smiled bashfully. “That’s because I am. Every girl likes brushing her hair.” She replied softly, sleepiness weaving in her words, immediately back to humming the tune. Sasuke was quickly learning that he liked sleepy Uzumaki Naruto better, as any other time Sakura would have sucker punched him for small comments like that. Sleepy Naruto could always voice the words that Sasuke always thought when he watched her participate in her nightly ritual. Things that would come out wrong if Sasuke ever asked them, and like hell would he ever let that happen in front of her or the idiot. He had bigger and better things to worry about.

After a few moments of Sasuke counting the strokes, Naruto spoke again. “What is the song you are humming, Sakura-chan?” She paused again, hand and humming, at her fourteenth stroke. “You always seem to hum that same one every time.” 

Sakura’s vivid green eyes (who the fuck had eyes that pretty, even in the firelight?) flicked to Sasuke for a brief moment as if seeing if he wanted to know (he already knew), before shifting to Naruto again with a slightly sheepish smile. “It's something my mother sang to me when I was little. She used to sing it with her best friends when she was younger.” She replied softly, obviously trying to keep her voice down. “Of course, she always has the better voice when it comes down to it.” She began brushing again, picking her humming up where she left it. The orange light gave her pink tresses a beautiful coral glow as she ran fingers behind the bristles. 

“Oh.” That was probably the most sensible response the blonde idiot could give in his tired state.

Sasuke was briefly reminded of his own mother, humming that same song as she ran her fingers through his hair to lull him to sleep at night. He remembered that his mother’s nails would just barely graze against his scalp, his own eyes becoming tired from the mier memory of it. He blinked, refocusing back to the brush and taking up his counting again.

At stroke 47, Sleepy Naruto spoke again. “What is the song about?” Sasuke twisted his drawing tool between two hands as he waited for her response. His head subconsciously dipped further into his high collared shirt.

Sakura sighed softly, dropping her brush onto her lap at stroke 50, as she tilted her head to the right to brush her fingers through the other side. “The song is mostly about not taking life for granted, because all of the little things that you hold dear could be taken away without warning one day. To be courageous and not have fear, even in those dark times. To not forget how unconditional love can be.” Even the firelight could not hide the burning glow on her cheeks, as she picked up her brush again, starting her ritual on that right side.

Her synopsis was on point and hit very close to home. Sasuke gripped his stick tightly as he fought away the images that fluttered through his mind from the night of his family’s massacre. 

_ His beautiful mother lay on her back, while his ever stoic father lay over her-- as if he was trying to protect her. Their blood pooling together under the glint of his brother’s sword blade. A bold reminder of one of his life’s goals. _

Sasuke blinked, clearing his throat and popping the stiff joints in his neck before resuming his turtle-like position. Maybe Sleepy Naruto wasn’t as forgiving as Sasuke had hoped. He was at count 82 when stupid spoke again.

“What’s the song called?”

“It's called Closer, dumbass. Now shut up and go to sleep!” Sasuke barked, tossing his stick towards Naruto but not actually hitting the idiot. Dammit, he was trying to count! 

Sleepy Naruto grumbled under his breath, shifting around in his sleeping bag with a sourpussed face aimed at Sasuke. Sakura didn’t seem to jolt from Sasuke’s temper as she tossed her brush back into her open bag at stroke 100. She split her hair into three sections and began to weave the strands into a simple braid tied off with a thin hair tie. 

Once both were settled into their sleeping bags, Sleepy Naruto reared his ugly head again. “Why do you do that to your hair every night, if the whole thing is gonna come apart when you sleep?”

Sasuke had a kunai in his hand and ready to plant it in Naruto’s forehead when the missing member of their unit appeared out of thin air and ripped the weapon out of his hand. Sakura, seemingly sensing the near death of their blonde teammate, answered before Sasuke could snarl out his less forgiving response.    
  


“Go to sleep, Naruto. I’ll tell you tomorrow.” 

Silence followed her response and Naruto rolled over in his mat to quickly fall asleep. Sakura, with another bashful glance at Sasuke, rolled over in her own pallet to fall asleep. Once her breathing was regulated, Kakashi finally spoke. “Kunai are not toys, Sasuke. You’re smarter than that.” 

“He was asking stupid questions, instead of sleeping. He has the second watch and it won’t be my fault if the idiot falls asleep halfway through.”

Kakashi’s one visible eye watched Sasuke carefully and the boy chewed on the inside of his cheek, waiting. The man sighed, shaking his head before giving the weapon back. “Right.” It was a statement, not a question. Silence enveloped them again before Kakashi spoke, pulling that stupid book of his out. “Go to sleep, I”ll finish off your watch.”

Sasuke blinked from behind his collar for a few moments, watching his teacher read from his porn. When the man didn’t move from his position in front of the fire, Sasuke finally moved to his sleeping bag. 

Tonight, he dreamed of Sakura’s humming and fingers brushing through his hair.


	2. Babysitter Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1: Team 7 are assigned a unique mission while Kakashi is gone that might be more than they can handle.

“You want us to WHAT?!”

Lady Tsunade grimaced, glaring at the young ninja behind folded hands. “As I was saying, before you rudely interrupted… the child was discovered early this morning at the gates and no one has claimed him yet. Team 7, your job is to watch over the child while we try to locate his parents.” 

“You want us to babysit.”

Tsunade’s eyes shifted to the other boy on the team. Dark eyes matched her stare evenly. “In short, yes. You will be compensated for supplies and time, so keep receipts of your transactions.” Naruto, the blonde of the group, groaned. 

“Come on, guys. It’s not that hard! He’s just two.”

Thank the gods for the lone female on the team, Tsunade gave the girl a small appreciative smile. “Exactly. Now, as for sleeping arrangements, I would prefer you all to be in the same location to keep an eye on him. ALSO!” Tsunade eyed the blonde genin in particular. “Do not pawn the child off to adults or on the rest of the members of your team. This is a teamwork exercise, gods above know you need help in that area, Naruto.” 

Naruto, snorted. “Yeah right, Sakura could handle this job on her own. She’s a girl, after all.” 

A cold chill rolled through the room as all three eyes locked onto the female genin in question. Tsunade didn’t need to make a gamble on what was about to happen. In fact, she welcomes it, as the little twerp deserved what was coming to him. The pink haired girl gritted her teeth, green eyes blazing as she gave a solid right hook into her teammate’s stomach. “YOU SEXIST PIG!!!”

Tsunade didn’t miss the dark haired, dark eyed boy’s amused and prideful expression as he watched the lone girl on their team tear into the blonde.  _ Ah, the boy has a thing for her. _ Tsunade couldn’t help thinking. “Uchiha Sasuke!” The dark haired boy met her eyes, the other two pausing in their argument. “You will lead this mission, so you get to decide where you will set up camp. Kakashi is away on another mission, so this one will not be a supervised one.”

Naruto sputtered an argument with Sakura’s hands still wrapped around his throat. “WHAT?” he screeched, face turning blood red and eyes bulging out of their sockets.  _ Just how strong was this girl? _

“My place would be the only option.” Sasuke stated, after a moment's thought. 

“How generous of you.” Tsunade agreed. It did make the most sense. They both ignored the thud of a body hitting the floor. Naruto would be fine. “Agreed. I will forward this information onto the right people.”

“Are you sure?” Sakura questioned, dusting her hands and returning to the main conversation. “It won’t be a bother?” 

“Naruto’s apartment isn’t the ideal place to babysit a child. It's probably a trash heap, as we speak. And, if I remember correctly, your parents run a business out of their home, and a two year old would only get in the way.`` He explained. “So that, unfortunately, leaves my place. It can’t be helped.”

_ Sure it can’t. _ Thought Tsunade, amused by the flush on his cheeks as he crossed his arms. Sakura fell for it: hook, line and sinker. She watched the teen gush over the idea of her crush taking care of a baby.  _ That girl was doomed. _ “Anyway, the boy’s name is Daisuke, from what we can gather from the items on his person. Not much information was available on who his parents are, but we will keep you informed as the mission goes along.” She continued, before Sakura’s ovaries decided to explode on her office floor. “This mission is an indefinite one and an easy D Rank, so make sure you don’t kill the kid. Here is the outline of your mission and where you can pick the boy up from.” She hands Sasuke a scroll with the details. “You are dismissed.”

“Yes, ma’am!” 

Sasuke turned and swiftly kicked Naruto in the side. “Quit laying around, idiot. We’ve gotta go get the kid.” Naruto ‘oofed” and jumped up, fists clenched and ready for battle.Sasuke just ignored him and walked out of the office. Sakura bowed respectfully, and quickly caught up with her boys. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea, m’lady?”

Tsunade turned to her ever-sceptical assistant. “What choice do we have? Our hands are tied and they are all that is available right now.” 

TonTon snorted in agreement.

  
  


(At the Hospital)

Uchiha Sasuke was not happy about this mission in the slightest. It's his first mission as lead and he has to babysit. Great.

However, he looked to his left and chuckled under his breath. Naruto looked absolutely miserable about this mission. He looked to his right and wasn’t surprised to find that Sakura was practically skipping beside him. She probably made a mental shopping list as they walked to the hospital to pick up the kid.

Well, at least two good things came out of this mission. Sakura’s happiness and Naruto’s misery. And if either of them became too much, he reasoned he could always toss them out on their ass and finish the mission himself. Kids aren’t hard, right?

Oh how he would regret thinking that later….

“I can always ask mom if we still have that playpen in storage from when I used to babysit the neighbor’s kid, and maybe some toys and clothing?” Sakura seemed to mutter out loud.  _ Called it.  _ “It would help reduce some of the costs.” Leave it to Sakura to think of things like this- she’d make her future husband a very happy man. Sasuke nodded his head agreeing with Sakura’s offer, not allowing his mind to think beyond that image. He had his own list to think about before kids and wives fell into the mix for him. 

“Well, here we are.” Naruto droned, leading them into the pediatric ward of the hospital. After a short conversation with the ladies at the front desk, they were led to one of the rooms in the back of the ward. 

  
  


“MAMA! PAPA!”

  
  


They were greeted by an excited dark haired child with grabby hands aimed at Sakura. If Sasuke didn’t know otherwise, the child could have easily passed as a member of his own family. Hell, even his hair was as equally messy in the back as Sasuke’s. Though, his vibrant green eyes reminded him of… Well, Sasuke didn’t want to imagine that, but the kid was pretty cute. And the boy’s dinosaur overalls reminded Sasuke of a dinosaur plushie he had as a child. Maybe he should make a small trip to storage after they got home, in case his parent’s had anything stored away from when he was little.

“No, sweetie. This is the team that will be watching over you while we look for your mommy and daddy.” The nurse explained. 

Sakura introduced herself, Sasuke and Naruto to the boy, who looked confused for a moment before pointing to each of them, starting with Sakura. “No! Mama!” He pointed to Sasuke next. “Papa!” and to Naruto. “Dumbass.”

Sasuke had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. Naruto’s face?  _ Priceless. _ So he settled for a snort, and watched the show unfold with amusement. “Listen here, you brat. My name is Naruto Uzamaki. Got it?” Sasuke rolled his eyes, as his teammate asserted his dominance over the kid. “And one day, I’m gonna be Hokage. So you better start respecting me!”

“Dumbass ‘Kage.” the kid responded headstrong and without missing a beat, and then looked to Sasuke for confirmation. Just for the hell of it, Sasuke nodded and smirked, the image of a proud papa. This was gonna be one hell of a successful mission, if he had any say in it.

While Naruto’s face changed to a glorious shade of red, Sakura dove in- ever the team mom. “That’s not nice, Daisuke.” But, dammit, if he didn’t see the subtle red on her ears and neck as she struggled to not laugh as well. 

The nurses helped Sakura get the boy settled in a harness on her back, while the boys gathered what possessions the boy had on his person. “We did discover that the boy has a mild allergy to chocolate, so we highly advise not feeding any to him while he stays with you.” The nurse advised them. Sasuke blinked. Okay, that should be easy. He never had any kind of sweets in his apartment. “Otherwise, he is in perfect health. I recommend reading over this list of suggested foods and routines for boys his age, and he has a follow up appointment in a few days should his parents not be located by then.” Sasuke nodded and took the paperwork, stuffing them into a plastic bag with the boy’s possessions. 

(Sasuke’s Apartment)

“I swear, if I find so much as a ramen cup wrapper in my house, I will end you.” Sasuke unlocked his front door to his apartment and waived them in. Naruto snorted at the threat, openly daring Sasuke to go through with it, as he kicked his shoes off at the entryway and made himself at home. 

By the time they arrived at their final location, it was lights out for little Daisuke. Sakura’s parents gushed over the little boy and made suggestions for the boy's care-- all the while teasing Sasuke about being the child’s father in secret. “I’m 12.” He reminded them, flatly, which only encouraged her father’s jokes. In short, she wanted to die of embarrassment, and quickly got them in and out of her home within 30 minutes of being there. She was confident Sasuke was over her home visit within 30 seconds of stepping in the door.

However, as cute as Daisuke was, he was a little on the heavy side despite how small he was. Sakura pulled her own shoes off and began to unbuckle the harness from her sore back. “Here, let me.” Hands began assisting her unbuckle straps and, suddenly, she had weight off her back as Saskue lifted the boy with ease. It took everything for Sakura to keep herself composed as she watched Sasuke carry the boy further into his home. 

_ No, I need to keep this professional.  _

She watched his back, the Uchiwa taunting her against the blue field of his shirt as he turned into his living area. She sighed, and arranged the shoes and harness in the closet in an organized manner before joining them. Thankfully, her parents were going to be bringing the playpen over later, as well as a few things that neighbors said that she could borrow. It meant less things for them to carry. She just hoped and prayed her parents didn’t go overboard. 

“What did I tell you about your damned feet on my coffee table?!”   
  


She turned the corner just as Sasuke kicked Naruto’s feet off a corner coffee table. Daisuke was on the bed, tucked between two body pillows that usually decorated Sasuke’s bed. “It's getting close to dinner time. Any ideas on what we should cook?” She offered, narrowing her eyes at Naruto and daring him to mention take out at Ichiraku.

“You know me, I’m always down for eating anything.” Naruto responded, making himself at home in the chair cornered near the patio door.  _ Living, breathing black hole, ladies and gentlemen.  _ Knocking on the front door cut off her train of thought. 

She looked back at the front door and saw the faint outline of her father’s hair on the other side of the glass. “That’s them.” She told Sasuke. He nodded and she went to answer the door.

\---

Once she turned the corner, Naruto felt a grin split on his face. He hoped Hizashi came. He liked Sakura’s dad and his endless jokes were the highlight of Naruto’s day. Especially if the jokes were at Sasuke’s expense. Naruto felt a chuckle rumble and Sasuke side eyed him. “What?”

“Sakura’s dad would be a cool father in law.” He replied, feet popping back on the coffee table as he leaned back in the recliner. There was a long pause, if anyone could call it that. Naruto didn’t miss the pink tips of Sasuke’s ears as his friend tucked his chin in the collar of his shirt. 

Sasuke was being a debbie-downer. The most likely reason being he had people invading the privacy of his home. But, Naruto thought that he brought it on himself, volunteering his own apartment as their ‘camp’.

“Feet off the table.” Sasuke grumbled flatly, lifting a blanket over the brat and going to meet Sakura’s parents at the door. Naruto rolled his eyes and snuggled into the chair a little more. He was overdue for an afternoon nap. He was just barely asleep when he heard Sakura’s father’s booming voice.

“There’s Papasuke!!”

He could imagine his friend’s sourpussed face, and happily fell asleep with dreams of joking father in laws and children that would look like him and Sakura.


	3. Dance Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Characters might be slightly ooc as it has been a hot bit since I've watched these babies as genin.

(DANCE, PART 1)

"This is so stupid.” Uzamaki Naruto grumbled. His blonde hair rustled in the wind as bright blue eyes watched a group of excited girls surround the community billboard. One of Konohagakura’s summer festivals was due in about 2 months, which is what all the buzz was about. “What is so special about dancing anyway?” 

“Its tradition.” Yamanaka Ino replied, overhearing Naruto’s complaint and sashaying over to the few members of team 7 that had met up so far. Naruto glanced at his dark haired- dark eyed teammate and rolled his eyes. “Even you boys get to participate, right Sasuke?” She made the extra effort to plop down real close to the boy in question. “I heard we finally get to witness the Lover’s Blade Dance from your clan.”

In the super cool Uchiha Sasuke fashion, he completely ignored her. The black haired boy rested his nose behind laced fingers, elbows balanced on his knees as he stared into nothingness. Or so she thought, until she saw his eyes shift upwards. Ino followed his line of sight to a pink haired girl that she knew was also a member of Team 7. Ugh, her. Haruno Sakura, her frenemy. 

They watched as the girl walked past the board, ignoring the gathering as she made a beeline for her team. She wasn’t surprised to see Sakura walk past the board, as Ino knew very well how much Sakura hated-- HATED-- dancing. Well, public dancing, that is. Ino looked to Sasuke and found a frown on his lips as Sakura neared. Ino chuckled under her breath, taking it as a sign of annoyance on his end of his teammate. Seeing this as advantageous, she hooked an arm around his bicep and leaned her head onto his shoulder. “So Sasuke, did you choose a partner for your clan dance yet? I happen to be very good at dancing, and at least I don’t trip over my feet, unlike a certain someone.”

That certain someone ignored her and sat between her teammates, a good foot between her and Sasuke. Sasuke growled under his breath, and nudged Ino off of him. “Don’t you have practice to be at?” He barked at Ino. “Or a team meeting, for that matter? So quit bothering mine.”

Ino rolled her eyes, and huffed. Ninjas shouldn’t show how they feel, but she couldn’t help but feel rebuffed. “Whatever you say, Sasuke-kun.” She teased, instead.

Sasuke stood, watching the board again with a frown. “Come on, let’s see what idiots they paired us off with.” Naruto was promptly yanked to his feet by the collar of his shirt, while Sakura was yanked up by the hand. Sasuke dragged them over, Naruto choking and Sakura’s hand folding over Sasuke’s with a faint blush on her cheeks. Kakashi didn’t make his presence known until they made it to the community board. 

“Hello, Yamanaka-chan. I think I saw your team members heading towards the Academy to rent out a hall for your clan dance.” 

She couldn’t see it, but Kakashi was quite smug over the pairings of his teammates. In fact, he thought the pairings would work out quite well in the long run, but he would let the smooth talking logic do the work for him. “In fact, isn’t the Yamanaka clan dance immediately after the Uchiha clan dance? If you ended up being Sasuke’s partner, it would cause conflicting schedules for you as the lead dancer, wouldn’t it?’

Ino puffed her cheeks in frustration. So much for that idea. 

———

Sakura bit her lip nervously. This had to be a joke. She was… Sasuke’s partner? In the Uchiha clan dance? THEE Lover’s Blade Dance? 

She glanced to her left, Sasuke is impassive as always. 

Of course, what she didn’t know was that Sasuke was relieved. He wouldn’t have to worry about some girl trying to make it too intimate. He knew Sakura had a thing for him, but she knew how to keep it in reign. And of course, he had a hand in the decision when the Sandaime Hokage came to him to ask if he would do the dance representing his clan. He was of age now- technically- but that didn’t mean it rested within his comfort zone. Each year, since the massacre of his clan, the village subbed the dance for a few moments of silence in honor of the clan. It still left a sore spot with him, but it was better than no representation at all, he supposed.

Plus, like hell was he going to let any other girl take that role when he knew who he could trust with his family’s traditions.

“Were they drunk when they decided this?” 

That pinged a reaction from him. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, turning to her. “They know I have two left feet and I’m as graceful as a duck.” Her analytical side kicked in to explain to her, now, ‘dance partner’. “They were better off choosing someone prettier and more graceful than I am, that’s for sure.” And there went the self conscious side. Sasuke had no response to that because, well for one, he didn’t know how to talk to a girl…. He couldn’t think of anything that could reassure her without sounding like a total asshole. 

“Don’t worry, Sakura-chan.” Naruto hooked an arm around her shoulders, clearly trying to pick up the slack. Great, how was he going to fuck this up? “I think you are amazing at whatever you do-” Color Sasuke impressed, the idiot could talk to girls… Sakura frowned, waiting for the other ball to drop as well. “even if you look like a duck while doing it.” Ah, there it was. 

A solid blow to the idiot’s head later, and Sakura was begging him to ask for a change of partner. Which honestly was surprising him the more she begged, he would have figured she would have jumped at a chance to be his partner and rub it in the fangirl’s faces. Sakura couldn’t handle that much pressure on her shoulders. In fact, she would have settled for a minor role or even a stage prop runner. But being in the center spotlight doing something that she knew she would be absolutely HORRIBLE at? That was hell on earth for her. Even if it was at the cost of not being her beloved Sasuke’s partner, she could take that hit and live with it. 

Sasuke, however, wanted nothing to do with the thought. 

“No.”

She blinked her stupid doey green eyes at him, a pout on her lips. He almost cracked but he honestly didn’t want to deal with the hassle that came with choosing someone else. All of the other girls from the Academy in their age group were a part of their own clan dance, the rest were listed as prop runners-- Sasuke checked the list this morning. 

He was not above bribing, though. Sasuke could see a rebellion rising in her eyes as she turned away from them-- more than likely to speak to the coordinator of the event about a potential change. “Anko Dumplings.” He blurted out. 

That caught her attention. “Excuse me?”

“Anko dumplings.” He stated. He knew they were her favorite, on account that she wouldn’t shut up about them last week when the topic of the festival came up with their teacher, Kakashi. “I will treat you to anko dumplings for a day... if you stay as my partner.” Okay, this sounded more like begging than bribing to him, but again… hassle- he told himself. “I’d rather not waste my time searching for a new partner when I know they have assigned me a perfectly capable one.” Well, he chose her, but he wasn’t telling her that. Hell would freeze over first...

She narrowed her eyes at him and bit her lip again, clearly conflicted on what she would do. 

“Look, we all have to take a mission we don’t like at some point in our life. Call this one of those missions and call it a day already. Now, take the offer, or chicken out-- which is it?” There, that sounded more like something he would say. Inner Sasuke was nodding his head in approval. She blinked again and bowed her head, thinking. They stood like this for a few moments, and Sasuke was beginning to worry she would argue again.

“A week.”

Sasuke blinked. “Hn?”

“A week’s worth.”

Was… was he negotiating with a terrorist? “Three days.” Shit. Damn his stupid mouth. 

She looked up, stars in her eyes and his inner self was cringing. “Fine, three dates-- I mean-- three days worth of anko dumplings.” Aaaaaaaand Fangirl Sakura was back in full swing. “It doesn’t have to be three da-days in a row, of course. It can be on separate occasions. And it doesn’t have to be all at the same place, you--” Yep, the gears in her head were turning in fantasy land.

“If you keep talking stupid, I’ll drop it to one again.” He grumbled. Terrorist.

She grinned and nodded her approval.

These next 8 weeks were going to be absolute torcher.


	4. Babysitter, Pt. 2

Naruto had learned a lot from living with his teammates for two weeks. 

For example, he already knew that Sasuke was anal about how clean his apartment was, but he didn’t realize just how bad it was until they became pseudo roommates. Add a child and two people to the mix, and Sasuke seemed to be constantly on edge. He didn’t trust Naruto to be left to his devices when errands needed to be made or doctor’s visits needed to be done for the little Terror. Sakura was fine, as far as Naruto could tell, as he hadn’t yelled at her to clean up any spills or get her feet “off the fucking coffee table, idiot!” Mostly because she had better manners than Naruto, but this is this and that is that.

Another example, (Naruto’s favorite, he might add) was that he wasn’t upsetting Sakura’s temper as much as he usually did. Instead, she seemed to divide that role between him and Sasuke. Don’t get him wrong, she seemed to know where to draw the line since it was Sasuke’s house. But when it came to the Terror, they BUTTED heads. 

That was exactly what was going on now. 

Naruto sat at the kitchen table, watching Sakura cut vegetables and fish as quickly and carefully as she could. Sasuke was currently in the living area, struggling to calm the screaming and crying Terror down-- who apparently wanted Sakura’s undivided attention. 

“MOMMA!!!!”

“Calm down, Daisuke. I’m almost finished.”

“Will you stop responding to that?!” Sasuke demanded, trying to bounce the child as he paced his room. “Dammit, Sakura! You’re 12, not his mother.”

**THUD!**

Sakura whipped around,  _ after _ embedding the point of the knife into a wooden cutting board a good inch or so.  _ How the fuck does she have the strength to do that? _ She stalked up to the door frame dividing the living area from the kitchen-- meeting Sasuke eye for eye. If Naruto didn’t notice the few deep breaths she took before responding, he would have thought another Great Ninja War was about to brew in Sasuke’s living space. “Do you think I don’t know that?!” She demanded. “How do you explain that to a two year old?! All he knows is that he wants his mother and all we know is that evidently you and I look the most like his parents. So, we have to work with what we have, or this won’t be a smooth transition for him back to his parents.”

Sasuke blinked stupidly-- STUPIDLY-- at Sakura and the little shit had calmed down just by being in close proximity to the girl. Naruto had to admit that she had a point. However, instead of spouting his two-sense into the mix, he chose to stay out of it- propping his feet onto the small kitchen table and leaning the chair back as he watched the show unfold. 

At the creak of the chair, two heads whipped his direction, fire burning in their eyes as both Sakura and Sasuke glared at him. “Feet off the TABLE!!” they both yelled, inciting the Terror into crying again. 

They passed an utter look of defeat between them, and Naruto almost felt a pang of jealousy. They made one hell of a parenting team when it came down to it, even when they were dog tired. All Naruto was good for was running errands and being a punching bag for the Terror when playtime came around-- they had long established from the beginning that Daisuke did not do cuddle time with Naruto  _ at all _ . It was all play and no work with the  _ Dumbass ‘Kage  _ for Naruto _. _ This felt less like a team mission and more like Naruto  _ watching actual parents raising a child. _

“I’ll take him.” Sakura’s defeated tone rose over the crying as she reached for the child and took him in her arms. “Just finish dinner and call me in when it's done.” 

“Are you sure?” Came Sasuke’s equally tired question as he followed behind her to grab a blanket for the Terror and wrap it around the kid. 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” She nodded, a faint blush on her cheeks. Naruto watched as Sasuke grabbed one of his hoodies from his arm chair and handed it to Sakura as well.

“Here, it's cold outside and you’re gonna need it.”

Sakura only nodded and took the hoodie with her as she and the kid went out onto the small patio outside of the living space. Both teammates watched as Sakura settled her and the kid into the patio chair, before she pulled Sasuke’s blue hoodie over her head and cuddled with the boy. Only then did Sasuke come to the kitchen area.

After taking several seconds to pry the knife out of the cutting board, did he finish cutting the meat and veggies. “Hey, dumbass, put the rice in the cooker.”

Naruto pouted from his seat, and turned back to watching Sakura sooth the child. From the way Sakura’s lips were moving, she had to have been singing to the boy. Naruto shook his head, totally loving what he was seeing. “She’d make a great mother one day.” He finally said out loud, turning to the task that Sasuke had given him. He knew he had said it several times over the last few weeks, but it remained true to this day.

“That’s great, now do the rice.” Came the tired reply. Sasuke was reaching in a bottom cabinet to fish out a ribbed cast iron skillet for the fish, but he didn’t miss the pink on Sasuke’s ears at a side glance.  _ What did he have to be upset about _ , Naruto wondered.

“I wonder if she would treat our children the same way?” By ‘our’, he of course meant his and Sakura’s. No way in hell was he letting anyone else have her after watching this for the last two weeks. Naruto filled the rice maker with the appropriate amounts of rice and water before flipping the machine on.

“Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself, idiot?” Came the sassed remark. “You have to get her to want to have kids with you first without being a total dumbass about it.”

“Oh, I plan to win her over after this mission is done.” 

“That’s great, now set the table.” Came the next order. Naruto could practically hear Sasuke rolling his eyes.

“Maybe I’ll take her to the festival next year and treat her to some Ramen.” Naruto could see it in his head. After a few years, they would get married and then have a few kids. The kids would be strong ninjas too, with cute whiskers on their cheeks-- all blonde haired and green or blue eyed. 

“Hey! Stop fantasizing and set the table!”

“Yeah, yeah….” 

Naruto grumbled as he started setting the table for three, and pulled over the high chair for the gremlin. Once done, Naruto looked through the framed wall opening that divided the living area and the kitchen and his mouth burst into a grin.

“Hey, Sasuke.”

“What!”

“You know she’s wearing the hoodie with the Uchiwa on it, right?”

Naruto felt the air pressure change over his right ear as the chopping knife embedded itself in the wall. “HEY!!” Naruto turned around and was met with a very flush-faced and glaring Sasuke. 

_ “Shut up, idiot!” _

Naruto burst into laughter.

______

Two days later….

There was a curious gaze in Kakashi’s eyes that Sasuke didn’t like as his teacher examined the boy in his arms. They were sitting out on the balcony when their teacher finally made his presence known. It was late in the afternoon and surprisingly warm for October, with fresh sheets hanging from the clothes line above them. 

“So…” Kakashi began, the twinkle in his eye vaguely reminding him of Sakura’s father. “When did you and Sakura start reforming your clan?”

Sasuke could instantly feel his blood boiling, fire racing across his cheeks. 

“I would have hoped that you would have sent your own teacher an invite to the baby shower, but I guess I’m nothing to you two, now that your hands are full.” Yeah, there might be a dead teacher in his future. 

“Ka-sei?” Daisuke asked, looking up at the man with interest. 

“Yes, I’m Kakashi. I’m your favorite uncle.” Kakashi said to Daisuke, tweaking his nose. 

Sasuke wanted to go beat his head into a wall, but he settled for a deadpan expression. 

“Kakashi-sensei, that’s not funny.” Sakura to the rescue. “We’re too young to be doing that kind of thing.” She pulled the kid out of Kakashi’s lap. “Sometimes I wonder if those books of yours go to your head.” 

Sasuke mentally agreed. 

“Hey, how come everyone gets to make those jokes about them, but not with me and Sakura?” Naruto demanded from his place on the patio porch. “He might have come from me, instead of Sasuke.” That comment earned a slap to the back of his head from Sakura, with a stern “As if!” as she made her way inside. 

_ It was so satisfying knowing Kakashi was frowning behind the mask, a rolling of the eyes quickly accompanying the expression.  _ Why it was satisfying, was something Sasuke wasn’t ready to address just yet.

“Naruto…” Kakashi started slowly, probably wondering how to explain to his student how babies work. “Do you— hm, never mind.” 

“Never mind what?” 

“I’ll tell you when you are older.”

Sasuke moved to the kitchen as Naruto argued his cause, joining Sakura at the table while she fed Daisuke some steamed carrots. “He’s an idiot.” He was beginning to agree with Naruto about Sakura being a good mother type.  _ And, he was beginning to contemplate things. _ It didn’t help that she still sported his hoodie occasionally with his clan emblem on the front. But, he constantly reminded himself that he couldn’t afford this distraction, no matter how much he liked that idea. 

“No one is surprised, Sasuke.” Her snarky response was appreciated. In fact, tired and snarky Sakura was even easier to appreciate than the normally flustered fangirl Sakura. “What are the plans for dinner?”

“If Kakashi makes another comment about us being Daisuke’s parents, he will be paying for dinner.” Raising his voice only slightly. 

“I heard that!” Came a dry reply from the open balcony door. 

“As much as I appreciate your parents bringing onigiri over everyday, I’m getting burnt out.”

“I can tell momma to lay off of it, I’m getting burnt out as well.” Sakura replied, feeding Daisuke some cubed chicken pieces. “I’d like the bar the door in general, sometimes they can be a bit… too much? Know what I mean?”

Sasuke opened his mouth to agree, but then thought better of it. He was beginning to like her parents. Kizashi was a cool dad, once Sasuke got past the terrible jokes. Mebuki was growing on him, despite her off handed comments about Sakura investing too much time in being a ninja instead of being with her family and being a normal girl. No wonder Sakura got self conscious so easily. Instead, he shook his head. “No, they’ve helped us more than I imagined. You don’t have to rush them out the door every time they come over.” 

He saw Sakura’s cheeks flare up. “You noticed that?” She asked quietly. 

Sasuke shrugged. “It was uncomfortable at first, but they are good people.” Even though he wanted to put a fist through Mebuki’s face every once in a while— her shrill voice bothered him. A lot. Or maybe it's the way Mebuki completely disrespects the role of a ninja. Or maybe the way her version of mothering was not at all like his own mother’s. Or it could be the way she talked down to her daughter sometimes.  _ Okay, maybe he didn’t like her as much as he thought. _

There was a knock on the door.  _ Speak of the devils, and they shall appear.  _ Sakura gave a deep sigh, seeming to agree as she looked at the clock in the above door frame. “Like clockwork.” She grumbled, wiping her hands on a napkin. Their eyes met for a few moments, each building each other up for the daily conversation that came with her parent’s visits. 

“I’ll get it.” He finally volunteered, breaking eye contact and pushing himself away from the table to go answer the door. 

“Sasuke, my boy!” Came Kizashi’s booming voice. “How is my little girl treating you? Is Naruto driving you up the wall still?”

“Every day.” Sasuke gave a reply with a knowing smirk, taking a small container of onigiri out of Kizashi’s hands so that the man could remove his shoes. Sasuke did notice a lacking voice known as Mebuki. Kizashi seemed to catch onto his searching.

“I told her to stay home, she hasn’t been feeling well anyway.” Kizashi explained. “I think it’s the mommy blues. She misses Sakura when she isn’t home. Something about hanging out with boys too much.” Kizashi rolls his eyes for extra emphasis. “She’s too distrusting to a fault.”

Sasuke didn’t  _ visibly  _ agree, but he knew what Kizashi meant. Kizashi’s eyes seemed to twinkle— much in the way that Sakura’s did— at Sasuke’s lack of response. The man knew how to read ninja, which wasn’t a surprise. He used to be a ninja before an accident impacted his career and put him in early retirement.

Sasuke led him to the kitchen where Kakashi and Naruto were helping settle Daisuke while Sakura cleaned up his afternoon snack. “Hi, papa.” Sakura greeted tiredly, her hair tickling her shoulders as she tilted her head up to receive a kiss in her forehead in greeting. “Momma stayed home?” 

“Yes, I think you needed a break from her for a few days.” Her father replied, patting Kakashi on the shoulder in greeting. “Welcome back, Hatake! How was your trip?” 

Sasuke met Sakura’s eyes again, both of them showing relief in their brief reprieve from her mother. 

———

The next night, Sakura woke to the sound of singing. If she wasn’t so damned comfortable in Sasuke’s bed, she would have completely woken up right away.  _ And she was having such a beautiful dream, too.  _ Instead, she laid there on the bed shifting to a more comfortable position, when she reached across and realized that Daisuke wasn’t in her arms. She frowned, still half asleep. The voice continued softly, singing the lyrics to a folk song typically sung during Hanami. The bed seemed to shift on the right side slowly. It took her a few seconds to process who it was, knowing Naruto’s snore from a mile away she was able to deduce that it was Sasuke. 

Suddenly, the singing stopped, and the bed shifted again. “I know you're awake.” His tone was tired and flat. 

“I’m not hiding it, “ she opened her eyes to a flush faced Sasuke tucking Daisuke between them on the bed. “I’m just tired.” She forced herself to finish her sentence.  _ Sasuke would make a great father _ , she thought for the millionth time as she watched him settle around in the blankets. On the opposite side of the room, Naruto snorted in his sleep as he rolled around in the borrowed futon mat that they rotated between them. 

They shared a look before simultaneously rolling their eyes at each other, Sakura giggling softly. There was a lull and they were nearly asleep when a pleasant thought crossed her mind, which she voiced out loud. “You’re a good singer.” She peeked one eye open at him to see how he would react. 

“Tell anyone, and I’ll murder you in your sleep.” He replied, a tired smirk on his lips. She liked this banter with him. She could live this life--  _ if only he would choose her. _

“As long as you sing to your own children when you rebuild your clan one day,” She replied softly, yawning sleepily. “I won’t tell a soul.” Sakura didn’t miss the blush that fired across his cheeks. She giggled as Sasuke tucked his nose under the sheets, a sure sign that he was embarrassed by her request. 

“Shut up and go to sleep.” 

She giggled again, knowing that was the best she would get from him before closing her eyes and letting sleep take her.

Sasuke, however, was suddenly wide awake and contemplating again. Once he heard her breathing level out, he slid his left hand out from under his blanket and reached across the space between them with two fingers poised right above that stupid beautiful forehead of hers’. However, he didn’t have the courage to follow through. The forehead poke was sacred to him and not to be used on a whim. 

He sighed heavily and pulled his hand under the covers again.

_ Maybe next time.  _


End file.
